Former Overwatch League pro turned Twitch streamer, Daniel ‘dafran’ Francesca, has apologised to Jay ‘sinatraa’ Won’s ex girlfriend Cloe Hernandez, after suggesting she lied about the alleged sexual abuse.
In early March, 2021, former Overwatch League star turned Sentinels Valorant pro, sinatraa, was accused of sexually abusing his ex-girlfriend, Cleo ‘cle0h’ Hernandez. While no legal prosecution was made, the player was suspended from Riot Games-organized Valorant tournaments for six months after he “did not fully cooperate with [Riot’s] investigation.”
As sinatraa makes his return to the Valorant esports scene (possibly with his former team), the community is completely split – but Cleo hasn’t let the situation pass her by.
Fellow ex-OWL pro, Dafran, vehemently defended his comrade at the height of the investigation. Having once stated “e-girls can be f***ing scary” in response to Cleo’s claims, the Twitch star has apologized in a series of lengthy tweets.
Dafran apologizes to sinatraa’s ex
In an April 13 tweet, Dafran publicly apologized to Cleo. “I called you a liar, and that’s not how it should go about when someone comes out with a story like yours.
“Should have shown support, coming out like that is not easy. This apology is not gonna be enough, I know. I will be better in the future. I am sorry.”
.@sleepysyrupp I called you a liar and thats not how it should go about when someone comes out with a story like yours. Should have shown support, coming out like that is not easy. This apology is not gonna be enough, I know. I will be better in the future. I am sorry
— Dafran (@dafran) April 13, 2022
Cleo was quick to respond, retweeting the comment with a damning “if this is a genuine apology (doubt): cool. If this is an apology in an attempt to get back in the good graces of the Overwatch community in preparation for OW2 (probably): go away.”
The former OWL star replied “100% genuine. I have read numerous tweets, talked to people and today I had a discussion with content creators. They made me understand.
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https://twitter.com/sleepysyrupp/status/1514318629071953922
“Showing support for the victims coming out is extremely important for the future of stories like yours and of course, you and your story.” Concluding “I am sorry for the constant harassment you are facing. I know this is on me also. It is disgusting,” Cleo simply responded “thanks for the apology.”
And I am sorry for the constant harassment you are facing. I know this is on me also. It is disgusting
— Dafran (@dafran) April 13, 2022
While some have been quick to point out that Dafran did reply to sinatraa’s announcement tweet with a seemingly excited “big” followed by two love heart emojis, it seems the tension between him and Cleo has somewhat reached a conclusion.
In an exclusive comment to Dexerto, Alex Francois, Riot Games’ Global Head of Competitive Operations, shed light on the sinatraa situation. “We take all allegations involving sexual misconduct extremely seriously,” he states.
“Per Riot policy, we partnered with an outside law firm to investigate the allegations made against sinatraa last spring. That investigation did not reach a definitive conclusion on the underlying allegations; however, during the course of the investigation, sinatraa conducted himself in a manner that was not up to the standards we expect of a professional player in our ecosystem.
“Based on his conduct during the investigation, sinatraa was suspended for six months (in effect the remainder of the VCT Challengers season). At the conclusion of the suspension (September 11, 2021), sinatraa became eligible to return to competition. He remains eligible and free to sign with a team.”